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Biden wins Senate reelect. Now what?

From NBC/NJ's Mike MemoliWith Biden projected to have won a seventh term, what happens if he also becomes vice president next January?

Biden's dual candidacy was rarely discussed this year, unlike 2000 when some accused Joe Lieberman of hedging his bets by staying on the Connecticut ballot even after Al Gore tapped him for VP. Biden only addressed the subject publicly when he urged fellow Delaware Democrats to vote for him twice.

"Don't be carried away with this vice president stuff," he said at the party's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Oct. 13. "Don't stop at the top of that ticket, walk your way down. You can vote twice for the first time in your life for the same guy and it be legal."

With the projected election of Democrat Jack Markell as Delaware's new governor, Biden is assured the luxury of resigning his seat whenever he wants and ensuring it remains in Democratic hands. In an interview with KY-3 in Missouri last month, Biden explicitly said that, "I wouldn't resign my Senate seat until I were sworn in as Vice President of the United States." The new governor is also sworn in on Jan. 20.

Biden is expected to have a big say on who takes his seat, even if the choice is Markell's to make. The question is whether he eventually wants his son Beau, now the state attorney general, to take his seat. But since he's scheduled to deploy to Iraq for a full year, it's unlikely the younger Biden would be appointed now.

If Biden does want his son to eventually take the seat, most believe that the governor would pick a caretaker -- perhaps outgoing Gov. Ruth Ann Minner -- who would not run in a special election in 2010. If Beau did not want the seat, Markell has a number of options, including LG John Carney, who lost to Markell in a tough primary race last September.

Biden hinted that Carney should keep his dance card open at that J-J dinner.

"I can tell you without fear of hesitation," Biden said to Carney, "your best days are ahead, old buddy. I guarantee you."